The company, which has been in Bergen County since 1989, starting in Westwood and moving to Norwood in 2007, needs more space as demand for its Ecos laundry detergent and other products has grown, a company official said Monday.

"Our volume has grown tremendously as our products have gained nationwide distribution," said Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, the executive vice president of Earth Friendly, which is based in Addison, Ill.

About 50 people now work in two buildings totaling about 46,000 square feet in Norwood, a number that is set to rise to about 60 when the 80,000-square-foot Parsippany plant opens in April. Vlahakis-Hanks said the company did not receive any state tax incentives for the move.

Earth Friendly was founded in 1967 by her father, Van Vlahakis, a Greek immigrant who was unhappy with the chemicals in the cleaners he worked on in his first jobs as a chemist. The company began making its products in New Jersey in 1989.

The company is privately held and does not release sales numbers, but Vlahakis-Hanks said sales have quadrupled in the last five years, as large national retailers, including Walmart and Costco, have begun carrying their products. In the early years, the products were carried mostly by health and natural food stores.

"For a long time, it was thought that green products were for the affluent," said Vlahakis-Hanks, 36. But, she added, the company has been able to sell its products at a low price point, making them widely affordable.

The New Jersey operation, one of five divisions, serves retailers on the East Coast, as well as markets in Europe and the Middle East, Vlahakis-Hanks said.

The new Parsippany location will be at a building formerly occupied by the shipping company DHL. Earth Friendly has renovated the building with an eye to the environment, using solar panels, recycled materials and paint that is low in volatile organic compounds. The company is seeking to have the property certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building.

All the company's sites are carbon-neutral, which the Vlahakis family believes is part of their mission. "It's really important to us to create our products in the most sustainable fashion," Vlahakis-Hanks said. Earth Friendly also offer incentives to workers to buy green cars and solar panels for their homes.

Responding to rising demand for its environmentally safe cleaners, Earth Friendly Products is moving its East Coast division from Norwood to a larger space in Parsippany.

The company, which has been in Bergen County since 1989, starting in Westwood and moving to Norwood in 2007, needs more space as demand for its Ecos laundry detergent and other products has grown, a company official said Monday.

"Our volume has grown tremendously as our products have gained nationwide distribution," said Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, the executive vice president of Earth Friendly, which is based in Addison, Ill.

About 50 people now work in two buildings totaling about 46,000 square feet in Norwood, a number that is set to rise to about 60 when the 80,000-square-foot Parsippany plant opens in April. Vlahakis-Hanks said the company did not receive any state tax incentives for the move.

Earth Friendly was founded in 1967 by her father, Van Vlahakis, a Greek immigrant who was unhappy with the chemicals in the cleaners he worked on in his first jobs as a chemist. The company began making its products in New Jersey in 1989.

The company is privately held and does not release sales numbers, but Vlahakis-Hanks said sales have quadrupled in the last five years, as large national retailers, including Walmart and Costco, have begun carrying their products. In the early years, the products were carried mostly by health and natural food stores.

"For a long time, it was thought that green products were for the affluent," said Vlahakis-Hanks, 36. But, she added, the company has been able to sell its products at a low price point, making them widely affordable.

The New Jersey operation, one of five divisions, serves retailers on the East Coast, as well as markets in Europe and the Middle East, Vlahakis-Hanks said.

The new Parsippany location will be at a building formerly occupied by the shipping company DHL. Earth Friendly has renovated the building with an eye to the environment, using solar panels, recycled materials and paint that is low in volatile organic compounds. The company is seeking to have the property certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building.

All the company's sites are carbon-neutral, which the Vlahakis family believes is part of their mission. "It's really important to us to create our products in the most sustainable fashion," Vlahakis-Hanks said. Earth Friendly also offer incentives to workers to buy green cars and solar panels for their homes.